ILuvDaBush

My question is how many games has LaPorta actually played 1B in his minor league career? I know he was immediately moved to left when he was drafted and now they moved him to right to accomodate Braun and most likely move Corey to center at some point. All these moves could begin to catch up to his bat. Also, to expect a right fielder to play 1B would be a bit of a stretch. If you want to move a RF to 1B, why not move Corey? With his height, Rickie would have a hard time over-throwing him. TO answer the question. 2009 C-Kendall/LaPorta..kidding. Probably RIvera, but THIS is what's sad. Can I hypothesize a trade for Laird? 1B-Prince. He's going to get hot really quick. How does Rickie have more HR's than him? Next thing you're going to tell me is that he has more SB's than Prince. 2B-Weeks. More HR's and SB's than Prince. Steadily improving, both offensively and defensively. SS-Hardy. Great arm, good defense. Decent bat. Has shown the ability to get hot. Former All-Star and lady's fan favorite. 3B-Hall. I'd like to see us upgrade this position, but it would seem to be abnormally difficult. Perhaps a trade for Scott Rolen is in the cards, as he would probably be very easy to obtain this offseason. Adrian Beltre could probably be obtained if the Mariners start selling. 2010 C-The Grand Salome. Personal favorite 1B-Prince. Could probably be traded after this (2010) season if you wanted to move one of the big bats to an easier position, but I wouldn't be inclined to move him until then, unless I was offered a bounty. Is there more power potential in baseball? 2B-Weeks. "This is the year that Rickie really turns it on and becomes an MVP candidate, batting .275/435/540". Perhaps my expectations improve more with him than he improves in reality. Still, I swear he stole Pat Burrell's bat, and he has speed to spare. SS-Escobar. You can't bury that defense at AAA any longer, and his defense will be a true revelation, while his offense... Did I mention he's got a killer glove? Bat sold separately. 3B-Gamel. I would hope with the amount of work the organization is putting in with him to help him defensively, that it will ultimately be paid off. He definitely has the offensive potential for his position, and you would think that bat would play anywhere. But until he proves he can't improve his defense steadily, I'm holding out hope. Obviously, you would then have traded Hall/Hardy/Hernan (though Hall and Hernan would have value as utilitymen, both in the infield as well as the outfield). FUrthermore, the OF would probably dictate some other trades. You would hope that Hart handles CF well, being flanked by Braun and LaPorta, with Jr. Gwynny being the fourth OF/defensive specialist.

To rule out any team because Texeira is going to be a FA is ludicrous, however. Would you rather give up a prospect package that cost you $5-10mil (and that's on the high side) or shell out 150+mil for Tex? Truth be told, I don't really think Hughes holds nearly as much value as was once theorized, but then again, the New York hype machine tends to do that. Honestly, I would think that the logical trade partners would all come from the AL East. Baltimore could use a huge influx of power, but I doubt they have the pieces. Torontoo and NYY would have the pieces, but they're not disposable. On the other hand, Tampa Bay and Boston would both be able to put together quite the prmium package without unduly burdening their future, as they have more young pitching than they have spots. Clay and Masterson would be a good centerpiece for the BoSox or Price/Davis for the Rays. Some may say that's asking for too much, but outside of a no-hitter and one good start by Masterson, they haven't really put their stamp on the majors, while Price and Davis are still languishing in the minors. If given my choice, I would probably choose the Red Sox's package, but Tampa's would have arguably the higher ceiling.

But they would be young, cheap parts, and Matt Cain is about to get expensive. And as I always say when I go all-in in poker or when I'm chugging liquid courage and about to go talk to a girl at the bar, "What's the worst that could happen?" In all honesty, I would expect to see someone from our ML team involved, maybe ZachJack or CV the Younger (or CV now...), but after today's W, I'm again on the CV train.

By the end of the year, who will have a higher OBP, Weeks or Braun? As it sits right now, Weeks has him by 10 points, but many Braun fans think he will develop a better eye at the plate and adjust a bit to raise his OBP, as he is still a young pup. Rickie, on the other hand, has been the model of consistency with his OBP skills, sometimes even at the expense of his batting average. Many "fair weather fans" around the state dismiss me when I tell them that Weeks has a higher OBP than Braun since Braun has ascended to the highest level. So the questions becomes, Who does my brethren believe will have a higher OBP by the end of the season?

And I believe his OBP is lower than Rickie Weeks' in the time since Braun has ascended to the majors.

Jim Tracy and Grady Little would be numbers two and three, but number one is just to let Ned finish out the season. He has control of the clubhouse; he's just had some bad luck with some of his choices. But this isn't the place for that discussion. Grady Little is forver haunted by the Pedro fiasco, but he was a very good manager. And much like Tracy, he just siffered from "not being able to do the grocery shopping" and being forced to play the wrong guys in LA.

What about a straight-up Prince for King Felix trade? He's arguably the top young pitcher in baseball and his repertoire is second-to-none. The Mariners are in desperate need of some offense and Prince is a generational talent.

I believe that Jayson Stark, in his Rumblings and Grumblings, actually said that the Brews made as concerted an effort trying to procure his services as did the Colorado Rockies.

I'm with TooLiveBrew here, hoping that the next guy to be extended would be Rickie. I called into 107.5 yesterday with Chris Havel, and voiced my excitement over the signing and went on to say that it would be the ideal time to re-up with Rickie given his cosmetically sad numbers. I then went on to point out that by comparison, Rickie's OBP is actually higher than Braun's since Braun made his debut, which Havel dismissed as bunk, simply because Braun's OBP this year is 6 points higher than Weeks' , even though Weeks has been hitting out of his natural position in the lineup since he came up (Imagine putting Prince in the leadoff spot... Well I would actually be amenable to that idea. More trips to the buffet for the Regal One, but I digress). Corey could be extended but I would think Corey will see an extention once he switches positions and they are confident in his ability to play center (or they trade LaPorta AND Gamel progresses defensively). YoGa is my fave Brewer so I would be ecstatic if he were extended, but as most papers are pointing out when they reference Tulo's contract, you don't extend recently injured players whjo are still injured. But I am pretty sure there is already a draft ready for YoGa to sign 3-5 starts into next season. And as for the big man, I would think he knows the situation and will only be happy for his millionaire teammate. He knows the business side of baseball, or at least he would seem to given his comments reinforcing that idea and his decision to make a deal with the devil to represent him.

If Prior ever were to get it together and remain healthy for a five year stretch, imagine him putting up a Sandy Koufax-like run at Petco. I've always had an affinity for him, as I am a devout USC fan, living in Green Bay. Good times. It wouldn't seem that he made the right decision this offseason, however, when he took a discounted one year deal in an attempt to up his value in the pitchers' paradise of Petco.

I'm pretty sure if you went by Win Shares of the players for each team since the trade of Sexson, the Brewers would come out ahead. :-)

But much like Freddy Adu, if someone wants to play elsewhere, it is in the best interest of the organization to get the most out of their property using the posting/transfer system. I would guess, given his age, that his posting fee could double the record Matsuzaka fee.

Long Braun! Well he gave that thing a good stare down before dropping the head.

Is it legal to THROW the bat at the ball?

Curt Leskanic? :-)

Pitcher A: I made a deal with the Devil.... Ned: So how is Scott Boras?

I would think, given his contract, rightfully or not, he will be marched out there to close within the next week. My guess is that he will flourish. But my opinion doesn't matter as much as the "Book Reader" who has never heard of Scott Norwood, or maybe Ned's under the assumption that Buffalo beat the Giants.

Guys, you are also neglecting to mention Reid Nichols, who decides when to push a player up a peg. Again, Jack may shop for the groceries, but without a good cookbook, it's just a bunch of random ingredients. As for the Moeller pickup, I was behind his acquisition. He had shown a proclivity to hit in the desert and there were reports that pitchers really liked working with him, backed up by the fact that he became, in essence, Ben's personal catcher after we got Damian. Let's also remember that we picked up a scrap-heaped 4th outfielder and turned him into a ROY (if not for the abstract leg kick of a certain Fish turned Feline), then turned the ROY into a true "Middle-of-the-Order" bat, then turned a few months of that bat into a closer, a slick defending CF, and some big hats....oh and a LOOGy who will never taste the suds of Milwaukee. If not for a phantom concussion, I think most people would agree we would have WON our division last year, and how did we acquire the Concussed One? We got him...AND CASH....for Brian Wolfe. He took over an impossible situation and made hope an annual possibility...nay...expectation.

So if Prince tears his ACL and Braun contracts cholera on a trip to Israel over the ASB (because, thus far, it doesn't look like he'll have an invite), it is Melvin's fault? When you look at what he has done, also look at what he COULD have done. When we signed Jeff Weaver to a minor-league deal, a lot of my friends were quite critical, and rightfully so. But then you try to imagine what could have happened....NOTHING. Instead of sitting on his hands, he strengthened our pitching depth at AAA. Now, it looks like he or McClung (another Melvin reclamation product) will be taking over the fifth spot when Parra gets shipped to AAA or Bush/Villy get converted to long relief. Our bench that "doesn't push" our starters has performed well given their roles. Kapler became a folk hero in fantasy circles over the first 25 games, and Jr. Gwynny has been showing his one plus tool, his ability to put the ball in play. Neither was going to push Braun/Cameron/Hart out of their established places. Counsell has been a disappointment with the bat, but his defense and "grittiness" are second to none (and I say that last part with tongue firmly entrenched in cheek). If anything, I would think Melvin should be given more credit, as every position player has a clearly defined role, as opposed to our bullpen. If anything, that is my one place of criticism. No one knows their roles... Once you could have said McClung and Gagne had defined roles, but now Gagne is deposed and McClung is being inserted. Stetter is being used as a late-inning stopper. Shouse has fluctuated now from LOOGy to closer to reliever to closer (though I know he was only to face one guy today, how do you explain a one-hitter-per-appearance pitcher being used for a 3-inning save?). Mota/Riske/Torres are all as liable to see the fifth as they are to see the eighth. All this falls upon the chef (Yost), not the shopper. Again I say, you can lead the Yost to water, but you cannot make him drink.

Yes. The Cards' outfield is playing out of their heads, as is their rotation of LOOGys... The Cubs look good, but we still get to play them a few series at Wrigley North, and Soto and Fukudome are not the players their numbers say they are so far. But most of all, because my Brewers have already had to endure a Sheets injury, a complete mealtdown of our closer, a Yo hiccup that turned into Ebola for his year, and about as much electricity in our offense as a potato. I'm just saying... Does anyone think that the soul of our long ball power last year and the sole reason for that power....was Estrada and Jenkins? Tony Graffanino must be the culprit! Or perhaps, it is the player who had the highest batting average last year, Matt Wise? Now I don't have much of an expectation for Hardy's bat, and I know Braun played out of his gourd last year, but Prince/Rickie/Hart, with a semblance of ROY Braun's bat, should make it quite the summer in Milk Land.

And Bush is just NOW entering his prime years, so his career averages would go a lot longer towards projection than Sandy Koufax's career numbers in projecting him to this year. As for the Suppan signing, it is hard to criticize it when everyone knew he would get the type of contract he got (He was NLCS MVP!), he brought a great clubhouse and community guy to Milwaukee, and he brought a stabilizer to the rotation. Oh, and just for good measure, he also lays down a very good bunt. The Clark contract was questionable, but the Turnbow contract was well-thought and served its purpose early. Unfortunately, his slider could never match his fastball in terms of his own confidence in the pitch. The Linebrink trade was a bit of an overpayment, but given the laws of supply and demand, it had to be done. Garrison and Thatcher were not in Milwaukee's plans (and I truly wondered if Stetter was until he got his cup o' java) and Inman, while always a good paper pitcher, doesn't have the stuff to match his line. I was a huge Inman fanatic, but when he was traded, it told me that Milwaukee valued others in the minors more, which would be a reflection of Reid Nichols more than the 'stache. In the end, you can lead a deer to water, but you can't force him to drink. When I saw our team on paper this year, I was genuinely excited. I'm still excited after seeing the Hammer crush a pair tonight after the Regal One killed one last night. Now let's hope what's left of our young pitching follows suit.

Up until this year, I was under the assumption that Eric Gagne had never given up a three-run lead in the ninth. Now wouldn't that be about the same thing? As for those numbers, I wouldn't want a 9.00 ERA on our staff, though I would pay money to have him set up shop in Wrigleyville.

Just out of curiousity, would the Brewers do a Dustin McGowan for Ben Sheets trade? They have a bigger budget and would be in a better position to sign him longterm, especially if AJ opts out at the end of the year, which is all but a foregone conclusion since he's been healthy this year and he's been pitching well. I know that with the Overbay trade, the piece Melvin and Ash wanted was McGowan so there has been interest for awhile. I could see having to throw the Jays another piece to complete the deal, as Ben would only be under their control for a few months if they failed to sign him, but it would seem to be a fair enough trade. Perhaps, make it Gamel and Sheets for McGowan and Accardo? Jesse Carlson has been pitching well in their bullpen and BJ Ryan has looked good thus far. Any feedback?

What I meant by "moneymaker" was that he could have dove at the ball today, and on a few other occasions when he half-hearted and haphazardly swiped at passing grounders. And as for his contract, it isn't so much about the price as it is the comparisons for others who signed contracts around that time. Ben Sheets is a perfect example. Unfortunately, he signed his deal with the club around the same time as Johan signed his deal, for a comparable salary and the same amount of years. Thus, I have always compared our ace to the great Venezuelan.

He was given a big contract by management and has yet to live up to the pay (his contract was based on Jose Reyes' deal which was struck the previous season). His defense at third just makes me think he doesn't want to hurt the "money maker." I could be wrong, and I hope I am, but he just completely underwhelms me, and I think someone needs to light a fire under him.